A friend of mine recently went shopping for a new laptop.
They did what most of us do… lined up spec sheets, comparison charts, and watched expert YouTube breakdowns.
On paper, one option stood out as the clear winner: faster processor, longer battery life, more affordable.
Logically, it was a no-brainer, but…
That’s not the one they brought home.
Instead, they walked out with a model that was technically “worse.”
Battery life? Meh.
Price? Higher.
Processor? Average.
But the moment their fingers hit the keyboard, something happened… The sale was instantly made.
The keys made that soft, satisfying click… the exact sound that used to echo through their bedroom during late-night gaming sessions.
At that moment, it wasn’t about performance… it was about a feeling they hadn’t experienced in years.
And that’s the one they couldn’t walk away from… even though they ‘knew’ they should.
This is how decisions actually happen.
The “best” choice isn’t some objective winner sitting atop a spreadsheet.
It’s the one that feels right… for who we are, what we need, and where we are in life.
For my friend, “best” meant feeling like himself again.
For someone else, it might mean sleek design that turns heads in meetings.
For another, it’s raw horsepower to crush deadlines.
Same product category, completely different emotional drivers.
And this is where so many smart entrepreneurs quietly lose the game.
They assume if they just deliver more…
more features, more speed, more savings, then…
… they’ll automatically rise to the top.
But… People don’t buy in spreadsheets.
They buy in stories, in moments, in feelings they can’t quite explain but know in their gut are right.
The true decision point is alignment.
That’s why one founder hires the loud, rebellious agency with wild ideas…
… and another clings to the one known for reliable turnarounds and over-communication.
Both can be brilliant.
Both can be “best.”
But only in the right context.
That’s what real positioning is.
Positioning is not about standing out…
But about fitting in, so precisely, that your offer feels less like a pitch and more like a mirror to your ideal clients.